Dempo's illegal mining in Bicholim

This is a picture of August 04, 2008 at Dhabdaba, Bicholim where in Dempo minng corporation is in the act of releasing mining waste water in the fresh water system of Bicholim River. (Picture Courtesy: Kurund Gauns).

Ramesh Gauns declared in detail that Dempos all the five mining leases in Bicholim have expired their Environmental Clearance of the central Environmental Ministry on 17th November 2007. For the past nine months all the mining activities of Dempos are illegal and blessed by the State government. Gauns, a National best teacher's awardee for the year 2008, was addressing press conference in Panjim yesterday.

Gauns claimed that draft mining policy of the Goa Government is dictated by the mining industry and is mere farce in the face of rampant illegalities of the mining industry.

Click here to view some of the rampant environmental destruction by Dempo mining company in Bicholim taluka. Dempo's mining lease is nearly 14 Kilometers at a strech covering several villages of human habitation and forest lands excluded from demarcation by Goa goverment to support Dempo mining.

Sebastian Rodrigues